This project’s vision is to learn about testimony as a faith practice, especially as it undergirds faith-rooted witness in the public square. Despite the centrality of personal witness in the ministry of Jesus and corporate witness to the Christian life, it is only sporadically modeled, taught or encouraged in many congregations, especially in my own Lutheran tradition. This dearth of attention prevents Christians from achieving fluency in speaking their faith outside of church settings, from encounters in daily life to settings for faith-rooted public policy advocacy. I plan to investigate possibilities and potential for reinvigorating the church as a ‘mouth house,” Martin Luther’s term for the church as a community that nurtures sharing of the Gospel as a Living Word. I will do this by:
exploring the practice of testimony in Christian theological tradition and replicable ministry practices;
learning from up to four congregations who include testimony as a faith practice in faith formation and worship;
identifying proven practices for individual faith formation and communal practices that nurture faithful advocates, and,
developing educational materials and models that will be tested and refined in retreat and congregational settings around the nation before being made available for use by denominational and partner organizations.